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Independent Evaluations

McCreary has been conducting independent evaluations for programs in a range of areas, including youth justice, homelessness, anti-discrimination, and mental health and substance use reduction. To date McCreary has been involved in seven evaluations of homelessness programs funded by the Vancouver Foundation’s Youth Homelessness Initiative; an employment program for gang-involved youth; a longitudinal study on alternatives to custody and addiction treatment programs; an initiative for young people with mental health and/or substance use challenges; and a city-wide anti-discrimination project.

These are some of the programs McCreary has been evaluating (listed with permission of the organizations):

PLEA Community Services. Funded by the Department of Justice’s Youth Justice Fund (2008-2011), McCreary spearheaded a longitudinal evaluation of six PLEA addictions and youth justice programs. Douglas College students on practicum at McCreary were involved in all aspects of the project, including helping with data collection, data entry, and analysis.Three waves of longitudinal survey data were collected – at intake, discharge, and six-months post-discharge. The evaluation findings have been presented at various local and international conferences.

Further analyses and projects using this data are underway, including a focus on youth with FASD and other cognitive impairments who are involved in the justice system (part of a larger project funded by Youth Justice, 2012 – 2014).

PLEA’s Career Path program. Career Path aims to provide meaningful employment and mentorship to youth ages 15 to 18 who are at high risk of gang involvement. The program involves a 10-week job placement, intensive one-to-one support and supervision, and employer mentoring with a variety of training and educational opportunities. The goals of the program are to increase youth participants' ability to function in work and community environments, to enhance their future job prospects, and to reduce their risk of gang involvement.

To download a copy of the most recent evaluation report, please click here

citizenU. The City of Vancouver’s citizenU project is a three-year, city-wide initiative aimed at engaging and training youth as leaders in anti-racism, anti-discrimination and intercultural community-building. The project consists of eight overlapping cycles, with each cycle lasting nine months.The target group is 2000 youth between the ages 15 to 20, from 56 partner sites across the city.

McCreary is carrying out an independent evaluation of citizenU from May, 2011 to October, 2013. The goal is to measure how much taking part in the initiative increases participants’ understanding and awareness of racism and discrimination, and increases their civic engagement, community connectedness and leadership skills to ultimately contribute to reducing racism and discrimination in their community. The evaluation will also assess the degree to which participation improves youths’ emotional health (sense of self-efficacy, hope for the future) and access to needed community supports and services.

Watari’s TTIP-II program.; The Transitions to Independence Program for Pregnant and Parenting Youth (TTIP-II) provides supported independent living for youth with addiction and mental health issues who are pregnant or parenting young children. The program consists of providing youth with a monthly rent subsidy, as well as the necessary support to maintain their housing. McCreary evaluated the TTIP-II program using a mixed-methods approach of surveys and focus groups.

Directions’ Youth Homelessness Initiative. This pilot project at Directions, funded by the Vancouver Foundation, ran from 2009 to 2011. The aim was to assist homeless youth ages 19 to 24 in finding and maintaining housing and in developing their life-skills. McCreary evaluated this initiative using a methodology that incorporated self-report surveys and focus groups with youth and staff.

Broadway Youth Resource Centre’s (BYRC) supported housing project. This BYRC initiative was funded by the Vancouver Foundation from September 2008 to March 2011. BYRC worked with market and non-profit housing providers to provide supported housing for at-risk and homeless youth ages 16 to 24, and acted as an intermediary between landlords and program participants. Each youth was assigned a Transition to Adulthood Worker who offered a range of supports including emergency assistance and help in gaining the necessary skills to successfully transition from supported to independent housing.

To download a copy of the follow-up evaluation report, please click here.

Frog Hollow’s Frames Film Project. This Frog Hollow initiative is a film production and life skills program that provides opportunities for youth ages 16-24 affected by mental health issues or substance misuse to learn the basics of film production in a supportive, safe and fun environment.

The evaluation is underway (Dec. 2011 – 2013) and involves a mixed-methods approach of surveys, feedback forms, and focus groups. The evaluation is measuring how much the program helps to address stigma and increase awareness of living with mental health disorders or addictions; the degree to which Frames facilitates youth participants’ access to needed supports and resources; and the extent to which it increases youths’ skills in a number of areas, as well as sense of competence, self-confidence, and connection to their community.

Frog Hollow’s Youth Dialogue Project. Frog Hollow worked in partnership with Progressive Intercultural Community Services (PICS), and a number of other citizenU partner organizations, to engage a diverse group of youth with the task of planning and delivering a youth dialogue event in Greater Vancouver. The event, “It Starts with Me,” took place on July 14, 2012 with the goal of promoting anti-racism, multiculturalism and building inclusive community.

McCreary evaluated youths’ experiences planning the event, as well as the event itself. To download a copy of the evaluation report, please click here.